The other day, I was walking in the neighborhood with a very dear friend. We were mid-sentence when I stopped and said “chrysalis! Look!” My friend kindly overlooked my rude interruption. “Where?” “There—see?” Pointing to a small, brown object that was hanging by a slim thread from a tiny leafless tree, I showed it to him. It would have been easy to miss, this chrysalis—brown and twiggy, hard, encrusted—it looked as if it were made from the tree itself. And yet we knew it was a chrysalis. Soon, maybe when the trees begin to leaf out, a butterfly of some sort will emerge—weak and wet at first, then, as its wings dry, strong enough to fly off into its new life. It was such a welcome sign of spring. I was struck by how unlikely it looked—hard and brown, unlovely, ungraceful. Despite that outward hardness and ungainliness, soon the chrysalis itself will open to a great beauty within.
Where are the chrysalises in our lives? I know there are still some toughened places in my life that need healing, transformation, and growth. Is there an area like that in your own life? Some hardened, hidden place—prickly and rigid, perhaps, on the outside but soft and needing shape and form in order to become beautiful? Or tough on the outside but in need of healing and time for transformation? These hard, tough places in our lives—-deep wounds and griefs, old traumas, stuck patterns and behaviors and addictions—can all be addressed, healed, and changed, if we have the desire. I am partial to EFT, hypnosis, and meditation as pathways toward transformation, and also know that prayer, living a life with solid, loving relationships, and simple things like getting rest and exercise, are all important components in moving toward healing and transformation. It is always worth giving yourself as many of these gifts as you can….bringing the tools of transformation into your life regularly will create a lovelier today and a richer, more colorful, and vibrant tomorrow.
